Introduction
Last week we talked about various Scriptures dealing with our baptism and spiritual rebirth. We learned from Paul that, in Christ, we are a “new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). And yet, as I mentioned last week, we still have our sinful natures with which to contend. Clearly Paul, who also wrote about his continued struggle with sin (Romans 7:14-20) does not mean to say that our battle with sin is over. Not at all! Instead, he confesses: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on...” (Philippians 3:12). Paul admits that he is a work in progress and exhorts us to follow his example in “straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:17,13). So you see, we have been born again, but our perfection has not yet been fully realized. This is what I will attempt to explain in this week's devotion.
Understanding Our Duality
The key to understanding why our perfection has not yet been fully realized, I believe, lies within a passage that we discussed last week: “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6). All people alive today have undergone a natural birth in which they were conceived as babies in their mothers' wombs. But, for those of us who are born again, we have also been born of the Spirit. To me this passage indicates that, at present, we have a dual nature—we are both natural (of the flesh) and spiritual (of the Spirit)—and we know that these two natures are in conflict with one another (Galatians 5:17). Living this “new life” (Romans 6:4), then, is all about putting to death the desires of our sinful nature and submitting to the desires of the Spirit. So there is, at present, a constant struggle between our two natures.
ccc The New Living Translation says that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Perhaps this is a better way of understanding this verse. New life begins with birth. But just as we are not born into physical adulthood, so also we are not “born again” into spiritual adulthood. Newborn Christians (whatever their age) will probably not have the spiritual maturity of long-time Christians. Instead, consistent with our previous analogy, Peter exhorts new Christians in the following way: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Babies don't know how to speak or walk. They have to be taught. Their transition from baby to adult doesn't take place overnight. Instead it takes time and discipline. If long-time Christians have more spiritual maturity than newborn Christians, it is only because they have been trained by God's discipline. As Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” So we see that sanctification—the process by which we are made perfect—is a process and not a one time event.
ccc All of us who have been spiritually reborn have the Spirit of God living inside us, leading us into a life of submission to Christ, our King. But our allegiance to Christ is tainted by our sinful nature. We acknowledge Christ's rule over our lives, but we sometimes fail in our role as subjects of His kingdom. If we are led by the Spirit, we are continually being sanctified and grown up in our salvation, so that we become progressively more and more like Jesus, our perfect example. Ultimately though, we will never be perfect as long as we retain this duality of nature. I believe this truth is reflected in the angel's statement in Revelation 21:27 that “Nothing impure will ever enter [heaven].” To be dual in nature is to be impure. As of this moment, no one on the earth is pure. Indeed, we have not yet reached perfection, but as we “press on,” we also hold on to the promises we have received, knowing that “when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears” (1 Corinthians 13:10).
Perishable Flesh, Imperishable Inheritance
Before we talk about our future perfection, I want to spend a little more time talking about our imperfection. In 1 Corinthians 15:50, Paul says: “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.” The implication of this verse is that flesh and blood is perishable and the kingdom of God is imperishable. But this statement, while generally true, does not give us a complete picture of the reality of the situation.
ccc First of all, what does it mean to be perishable? Anything that is perishable is subject to decay (perishable goods, for example). In Psalm 49:9, death and decay are linked—decay leads to death. We all know what to expect from these earthly bodies we now inhabit. Our bodies grow, mature, and decay. Their glory fades like the flowers of the field (Isaiah 40:6-7, 1 Peter 1:24). We can see it happening before our very eyes! “For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others” (Psalm 49:10). We cannot retain these perishable bodies of ours and expect to live forever.
ccc But Paul does not mean to say that our bodies (i.e., “flesh and blood”) are inherently perishable. After all, Jesus consisted of flesh and blood (see John 1:14, 19:34), and yet death had no hold on Him (Acts 2:24). Why? Because He had committed no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5)! So we see that it is our sinfulness that makes us perishable (see e.g., Genesis 3:19, Isaiah 1:28). In the same way that the presence of bacteria causes food to spoil, so also the presence of sin causes human flesh to decay and perish. But in the same way that salt is used as a preservative for food, so also Jesus is humanity's preservative. He is the very salt of the earth! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
ccc If we have been baptized into Jesus' death (Romans 6:3-4), then we “have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). Therefore, we are only a seed of what we will become when Jesus returns. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:37-38: “When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.” Everyone knows that a plant does not have the same form as the seed from which it springs. So, in order for the plant to spring forth, the seed must undergo a change. This is what Paul is speaking of in the latter part of 1 Corinthians chapter 15 when he says, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all [die], but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory'” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). As 1 John 3:2 says, “...what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when [Jesus] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
ccc When Jesus returns and we finally see Him face-to-face, all those who belong to Him will be changed into His likeness. Since Jesus is perfect (i.e., without sin), to become like Him is to be “made perfect forever” (Hebrews 10:14). And as we discussed above, Jesus' lack of sin made Him inherently imperishable and therefore immortal. His is a “heavenly body”—imperishable, glorious, and powerful. In contrast, in our duality we still retain the qualities of the “earthly man” and his “natural body,” which is perishable, dishonored, and weak (1 Corinthians 15:42-49). In order for decay to be defeated and death to be “swallowed up in victory,” we must be purged of our duality. Our perishable and mortal, natural bodies must be clothed with immortality and imperishability. In short, we must be clothed with Christ.
ccc But how are we clothed with Christ? Galatians 3:27 says that “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” So you see, we must be baptized—“born of water and the Spirit”—in order to be awarded the inheritance of our imperishable, everlasting bodies on that Day. And this reward is free for all who, by faith, take hold of it. To such people, Paul says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession...” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
What are You Waiting For?
The author of Hebrews summarizes our previous discussion in one verse. By Jesus' “one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14). Jesus' sacrifice for our sins was perfectly adequate. And, in the sense that He has completed His work of salvation, He has already made us perfect forever. But the fulfillment of that salvation—the purging of our sinful nature and, along with it, our duality—is reserved for the day of Christ's return. And, for this reason, our perfection is not yet fully realized. We are still in the process of “being made holy.”
ccc Now we are dual in nature, our bodies still seemingly bound by their “bondage to decay.” But at Jesus' return our bodies will be fully redeemed as they are changed from mere seeds into the glorious bodies that God will give us as our inheritance. Now we suffer all kinds of troubles related to the lingering of our old sinful nature and the reality that we live in a fallen world. But, as Paul says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:18-23). I hope you will join me in looking forward to that great and glorious day!
